You go to college to get a high paying job. WRONG! There’s so much more to your college experience.
Often times after college, people will get jobs that have nothing to do with what they studied for 4 years. And that is okay. Here’s why:
When you enter college, you suddenly have the freedom to study whatever the hell you want. You are suddenly given so much power. In high school, you take the classes that the school system requires you to take. With all of those required classes, there is no time for self-exploration. But in college, that is all you do. If you don’t like your major, you can change it, you’re not stuck with it. In high school, you’re busy trying to impress colleges, but in college, you can do you, boo!
After so many years of being told what to do by school systems, you finally get to choose what you want to do. When you’re finally learning about things that you like, you finally have the chance to get to know yourself. In High School, you’re probably ruled out the core subjects you don’t like, so now in college you get to dig deeper, and keep discovering and ruling out more specific subjects you would never want a job in.
I came into college with a declared major in Psychology. My parents and I talked about going into Neuropsychology for my career. I was about to declare a minor in Biology, I had my life all set up. But I quickly realized, that was definitely not what I wanted. I loved Psychology, but I wanted to focus more on Mental Health. I felt like I was starting to learn more about myself, because my excitement for mental health caused me to focus on my own. From there I started doing certain activities, and developed new relationships for the sole purpose of my own mental health.
My college requires us to do a semester-long internship in order to graduate. I accepted the first one that was offered to me. That way I had an internship, and I could get it over with. I was also working at Victoria’s Secret at the time, I had needed a summer job, and they offered me because they were looking for more seasonal associates. So I had these two jobs because I needed money and to complete a college requirement.
What I learned in that time was what it was like to have a job that I didn’t like. I did not like my internship at all, I wasn’t doing what I liked to do, and the days felt like forever. As soon as I came back to my dorm room, I fell right asleep. I was emotionally and physically drained. Meanwhile at Victoria’s Secret, I found that I liked retail, but I wasn’t excited enough about it. My shifts did feel long, but not as bad as my internship, but I felt exhausted at the end of my shifts. I do not regret these two jobs, because they taught me a lot. I learned more about myself.
By the time I was finished with my Semester-long internship, I only had one semester left in college. I decided since this was my final semester, I was going to do whatever I wanted to do, not what seemed like a good idea to others. Along with finishing up a few required Psychology courses, I signed up for some electives just to make my semester more enjoyable. When I left my internship, I also left Victoria’s Secret. I wanted to have more time and energy, or else I wouldn’t have enjoyed my final semester. My parents had told me that I didn’t have to get another job. However, I did not want to give up retail. In order to make the most of my last semester, I was only going to get a job if it was somewhere I REALLY wanted to work, and I would quit if I didn’t like it, because I finally can. And that’s how I ended up working at Hollister. I was so excited when I got offered the job. When I came in for my first shift, I felt right at home. For the very first time, I felt like I was where I needed to be. I truly felt like I could be myself, and my manager and co-workers could not have been more welcoming.
I remember last semester, I had one class twice a week before I went to internship for the rest of the day. I would leave each class dreading the rest of the day. And now this semester, I have one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I would be at Hollister for the rest of the day. I would leave class now feeling excited about the rest of my day. At the end of each day at internship I would leave as soon as I met my hours for the day. But at Hollister, I don’t find myself looking forward to the end of my shift, if my managers needed me to stay a little longer, I would have no problem doing so.
Spring break was the true test. When I was home, I helped out at the Hollister near my house. I had 9 hour shifts every day. All of the shifts flew by, I had a nice break for lunch, and I still found that I wasn’t looking forward to the end the day. I was in the moment, and I felt satisfied at the end of the day. I went to bed each night looking forward to the next day.
So after college, I plan on working there full-time. I realize it is not an idea-job for a Psychology major to have after getting a Bachelor’s Degree, but I have never felt this way about any job. If you love being at work, and you feel that you have enough money, and just content about your daily life, that is success. I’ll probably become a manager at some point, but I’m going to take my time getting there. If I feel like doing something else in the future, I’ll worry about it then.
In college, you go to school for YOU. What you learn about in college is yourself. So as long as you’re doing what you love, or getting closer to it, that is the only thing that should matter. YOUR happiness is how you should define success.
